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The Division of Neuroscience (DN) of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) is recruiting dynamic and experienced neuroscientists with expertise related to basic and clinical aspects of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases of aging to serve as a Health Scientist Administrators.

Successful candidates will play a leading role in the scientific and technical implementation of research grant programs in the following areas: basic science and etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, biomarkers and clinical progression of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias or assessment, treatment, and management of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

The NIA, one of the 27 Institutes and Centers at NIH, leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging, and to extend the healthy, active years of life. The Division of Neuroscience fosters and supports extramural and collaborative research and training to further the understanding of neural and behavioral processes associated with the aging brain. Important components of this Division are the support of basic, translational, clinical and epidemiological studies of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias of aging; the neurobiology of aging; and behavioral and systems neuroscience of aging. To learn more about DN, please visit the Division of Neuroscience website.

Although not required, it is desired that the ideal candidate will possess a Ph.D. and/or M.D. degree with specialized research, knowledge, and expertise in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases of older individuals.

Candidates with strong writing, communication and interpersonal skills are sought.

The work site is the Washington, D.C. suburb of Bethesda, Maryland. Salaries will be competitive and commensurate with experience; excellent benefits will be provided. All applicants will receive consideration without regard to ethnicity, gender, national origin, age, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.

U.S. Citizenship requirement must be met by closing date.
Position is subject to a background investigation.
Education Requirement-Transcripts are required.
Confidential Financial Disclosure OGE Form 450 is required.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The formal position announcement is posted on https://www.usajobs.gov/ and applications must be submitted through that website to be considered. Please check that website regularly for updated posting, as positions are only open for 10 days.

The Health Scientist Administrator will be advertised as follows:

Open to the public: NIH-NIA-DE-16-1730218

Open to government employees: NIH-NIA-MP-16-1727561

For position information in the area of basic science and etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias interested candidates should contact Bradley C. Wise, Ph.D., 301-496-9350 or wiseb@nia.nih.gov. For position information in the area of clinical studies of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias interested candidates should contact Laurie M. Ryan, Ph.D, 301-496-9350 or ryanl@mail.nih.gov. For application information please contact Jessica Moreno or Pamela Anderson at NIAJobs@mail.nih.gov.

The bypass budget narrative also highlights research opportunities and advancements in a broad spectrum of basic and translational research and outlines future research strategies, including:

understanding the biology of Alzheimer's, related dementias, and the aging brain

identifying genetic influences involved in risk for Alzheimer's

detecting the earliest brain changes in Alzheimer's and related dementias

understanding gender and racial differences in the impact of Alzheimer's

translational research enabling the design and testing of new drugs for these conditions

testing in clinical trials new therapies to prevent, delay, or treat Alzheimer's

finding better ways to support caregivers

In addition to the NIA, the Alzheimer's disease and related dementias professional judgment budget covers possible projects from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and other components of the NIH.

The National Institute on Aging, a major research component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Health and Human Services, is recruiting for an individual to develop and administer research programs in its Clinical Trials Branch (CTB) of the Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology (DGCG). DGCG is responsible for the planning, organization and direction of programs of extramural and collaborative research related to biological and clinical aspects of aging; the conceptualization of new research directions and projects in the aging field; and the management and evaluation of grant applications. The CTB supports clinical trials of interventions to prevent and treat age-related diseases, conditions, disabilities and risk factors and plans and administers larger clinical trials and interactive groups of linked smaller interventional studies.

The incumbent will utilize knowledge of research in aging, geriatrics or a related field of medicine or health sciences, and statistical methods employed in clinical research, to achieve the CTB goals and objectives; participate in all phases of clinical trials planning and implementation, and assist with study design, management and data analysis; coordinate the activities of the various component groups of the trials; suggest, formulate and implement policies and procedures to ensure effective management of the trials; and participate in analysis and interpretation of clinical trials data. Responsibilities also include dissemination of the results of the trials to the biomedical and lay communities; participation in the DGCG and CTB planning activities and in the development and implementation of new policies, mechanisms or approaches for research administration; and other duties as assigned.

The successful candidate will possess a doctoral degree in medicine or a biomedical research field, and experience in conducting clinical research. Experience with clinical trials is desired but not required.

Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. For additional information about this position, contact Sergei Romashkan, M.D.

The Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) Use-Inspired Basic Research to Optimize Behavior Change Intervention and Outcomes initiative is funded through the NIH Common Fund, which supports cross-cutting programs that are expected to have exceptionally high impact. All Common Fund initiatives invite investigators to develop bold, innovative, and often risky approaches to address problems that may seem intractable or to seize new opportunities that offer the potential for rapid progress. The NIH SOBC Common Fund Program announces the availability of administrative supplements to support research that informs the foundation of an experimental medicine approach to behavior change. The SOBC Program seeks to accelerate investigations of common mechanisms of behavior change applicable across a broad range of health behaviors, including medical regimen adherence. Medical regimen adherence is defined as adherence to prescription medications, screenings, immunizations, behavioral regimens, etc., prescribed by a health professional or emanating from a health authority, such as guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The overarching goal of this FOA is to test how and why behavior change interventions produce and sustain desired outcomes when implemented in experimental, clinical, community, or population-level settings. Research supported through this FOA should aim to study putative targets/mechanisms of action that are critical to the efficacy and effectiveness of behavioral and social interventions to produce and, as feasible, sustain desired change(s) in health behavior(s), including medical regimen adherence. Research encouraged from this announcement is intended to support target validation, assay research, and development activities within three broad domains of self-regulation, stress reactivity and stress resilience, and, interpersonal and social processes. The ultimate aim of this initiative is to generate use-inspired knowledge that, when applied, will maximize the potency and/or efficiency of behavior change interventions for delivery in non-research/real world settings with representative populations. Administrative supplement applications to meet increased costs that are within scope of the approved and funded parent award and responsive to the specific research objectives of the SOBC Program may be submitted to this FOA. All applicants are encouraged to discuss potential applications with the Program Officer named in the Notice of Award of the parent award and one of the SOBC Scientific/Research representatives listed in this FOA. For additional information, please visit the NIH Guide.

Issued in March 2016, this update to the Census Bureau series on global aging was commissioned by the NIA to examine the demographic, health, and economic aspects of global population aging, and includes trends identified in 2007 by the NIA and the U.S. Department of State (Why Population Aging Matters: A Global Perspective). An Aging World: 2015 contains detailed information on aging trends; the dynamics of population aging; life expectancy, health, and mortality; health care systems and population aging; work and retirement, and; pensions and old age poverty. For additional information, please visit the Census Bureau.

NIA’s Grants for Early Medical/Surgical Specialists’ Transition to Aging Research (GEMSSTAR) program is now open to dentists and dental specialists interested in starting a research career related to aging. Details about the GEMSSTAR program are available on our website.

“We know that older people can have particular problems with their teeth, gums and oral health,” said Susan Zieman, M.D., Ph.D., who oversees the program. “This is an excellent opportunity for early career dentists and dental specialists to investigate such issues which impact older adults including oral cancers, problems with salivation and taste, integrity of dental bone support, chronic inflammation caused by gum disease, and other topics.”

The two-year program is designed to provide research experience and a professional development plan that will help young clinical specialists gain the skills for future research projects and a career as an independent investigator. Contact niagemsstar@mail.nih.gov for more information. The deadline for applications is October 6, 2016.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the premier health research center for the nation and the world. The 27 Institutes and Centers at NIH employ approximately 18,000 employees in a vast array of jobs, all supporting efforts for a healthy nation. The NIH mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.

Located in downtown Bethesda, Maryland, the Division of Extramural Activities (DEA) of the National Institute on Aging manages NIA's grants and training policies and procedures, including oversight of grants and contract administration, scientific review, and committee management functions. It serves as primary liaison for NIA with the NIH Office of Extramural Research and with other Institutes that share research interests.

DEA plans to hire a Research Program Analyst with at least a Master's Degree with some training and exposure to analytical sciences. Prior experience in any aspect of the development of funding opportunity announcements for publication and in any aspect of analysis of NIH data would be advantageous.

Major responsibilities will include:

Work with NIH Office of Extramural Programs Staff to submit and coordinate NIA funding opportunity announcements and notices to the NIH Guide

Work with NIH program officers and program analysts to advise them on appropriate template forms to use for activity codes, and to help them respond to feedback from Guide staff on particular announcements.

Read and edit draft funding opportunity announcements for consistency with templates and provides feedback as appropriate.

Operate the Internal NIA software to advance funding opportunity announcements through NIA approval. Monitors the system to ensure no excessive unexplained delays in clearance.

Act as a Guide liaison and participates in the NIH Guide liaison group who advises on template updates, staff guidance on templates, and any concerns with software used to process announcements and notices.

Work with other DEA staff on preparation of standing reports of application activity – the statistical package for every Council round

Assist DEA analytic staff on tracking functions and on special projects requests from the National Advisory Council on Aging, NIA Office of the Director leadership.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a pre-announcement of the vacancy. A formal position announcement will be posted on www.usajobs.gov under two announcements:

NIH-NIA-DE-16-1696628 which is opened to all US Citizens; and

NIH-NIA-MP-1696632 which is opened to Status Candidates only (Merit promotion and VEOA Eligibles).

We anticipate this posting will appear on or shortly after May 16, 2016. Please check that website regularly for updated postings, as the positions will be open for only 5-10 days.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the premier health research center for the nation and the world. The 27 Institutes and Centers at NIH employ approximately 18,000 employees in a vast array of jobs, all supporting efforts for a healthy nation. The NIH mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.

Located in downtown Bethesda, Maryland, the Division of Neuroscience (DN) fosters and supports extramural and collaborative research and training to further the understanding of neural and behavioral processes associated with the aging brain. DN is composed of three branches: Neurobiology of Aging, Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience, and Dementias of Aging. Overall, the Division supports a broad spectrum of research aimed at elucidating how the central nervous system and behavior are affected by normal as well as pathological aging. A central component of this Division is the support of basic, translational, clinical, and epidemiological studies of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias of aging.

DN plans to hire Research Program Analysts with a degree and experience in basic, translational and clinical research, to provide scientific and logistical support, in work areas such as those listed below:

Development and organization of scientific workshops

Administration, coordination and analysis of program activities; planning, organization, coordination, and management of segments of complex activities

Assisting in drafting ad hoc and periodic reports and presentations, and summarizing research findings.

The successful candidate must be a US citizen, and have solid project management, writing, and communication skills, and familiarity with research in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias of aging. Responsibilities of this position shall include:

Working with senior staff to develop Funding Opportunity Announcements, new research initiatives, and exploratory meetings of scientific experts

Attending and reporting on peer review meetings

Establishing, monitoring and updating systems for tracking program and research progress

Previous research has shown that aging affects cognitive ability, and that subtle sex differences in cognition exist across the lifespan. A recent observational study by Dr. Anna C. McCarrey and colleagues in NIA’s Intramural Research Program showed that cognitive ability in some, but not all, domains declines at a steeper rate for men than for women.

NIA researchers followed participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging up to nine years on average. Participants ranged in age from 50 to 96, and were free of cognitive impairment throughout the course of the study. Participants periodically took memory and other cognitive tests that assessed mental status, visuospatial ability, verbal learning and memory, perceptuomotor speed and integration, and other cognitive skills.

Initially, men outperformed women on the two tests of visuospatial ability, and women did better than men on several other cognitive tests. Men showed overall steeper rates of cognitive decline in areas of mental status, perceptuomotor speed and integration, and visuospatial ability. None of the measures showed significantly steeper declines for women. This suggests that women have a greater resilience to age-related cognitive decline than do men.

The researchers note that societal changes may contribute to these sex differences as they have resulted in greater improvements in cognitive stimulation, financial prosperity, and health for women. In addition, sex differences in cognitive aging may be affected by differences in brain structure and function, which tend to show more favorable outcomes for women at advanced ages. Further research is needed to link longitudinal brain changes to cognition in older men and women.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), Division of Behavioral and Social Research (BSR), seeks a population or social scientist to be a Health Scientist Administrator in the Population and Social Processes Branch. The HSA will manage and develop a portfolio of innovative grant-supported research and research training and identify scientific opportunities to generate new knowledge supporting the NIA mission.

Major duties:

Providing scientific administration at each stage of the grants process, including reviewing and approving progress reports;

Identifying significant research findings in areas of interest, summarizing and explaining the results to NIA leadership and other audiences;

Proposing future program emphases, and drafting Funding Opportunity Announcements, based on knowledge of the scientific fields and NIA goals;

Communicating about NIA program emphases and the NIH grant process with prospective applicants and grantees;

Presenting and justifying funding plans to NIA leaders and the National Advisory Council on Aging;

Participating in NIH- and department-wide research initiatives as approved;

Depending on qualifications and experience, serving as Project Scientist for one or more of the major longitudinal data resources supported by BSR, such as the Health and Retirement Study or the National Health and Aging Trends Study.

Candidate Qualifications:

Ph.D. in a relevant discipline in social or population science (e.g., Demography, Sociology, Economics, Social Epidemiology, Health Policy) and several years of successful experience in research or research management. Excellent oral and written communications skills are required. Candidates must be US citizens.

All applicants will receive consideration without regard to ethnicity, gender, national origin, age, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.

The work site is Bethesda, Maryland. Salaries are competitive and commensurate with experience; excellent benefits are offered. The position will likely be posted at the GS-12, 13, and 14 federal government salary grades, with an annual salary between $77,490 and $141,555.

For more information:

Interested parties should contact John Haaga at John.Haaga@nih.gov or Lyn Neil at NeilE@mail.nih.gov, (301) 496-3131. This is a pre-announcement of the vacancy which will be posted on www.usajobs.gov, and applications must be submitted through that website to be considered. All inquiries will remain confidential.